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MARIETTA -- The Ohio Oil & Gas Association is opposing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton's proposed three-year moratorium on wastewater injection wells in Washington County, arguing that regulation and scientific review should guide the state's response.
"A moratorium is not a solution. Science, facts, and sound regulation, not politics and campaign rhetoric, are what will ensure both safe operations and a strong future for Ohio’s oil and natural gas industry," association President Rob Brundrett said in a statement. "The path forward is to allow Ohio’s regulatory process to work as designed while protecting the conventional production and supporting infrastructure that provide significant benefits to communities across our state.”
State Rep. Kevin Ritter also questioned the need for a pause in new injection well activity, saying no new applications had been submitted since the Ohio Department of Natural Resources put new rules in place in 2022.
"I would suggest that we’re already in a nearly four-year pause at this point," Ritter said.
Ritter said he has continued pressing ODNR to take residents' concerns seriously and has secured meetings between the agency's director and people concerned about the wells.
Acton pledged during a Thursday visit to Marietta to halt both new injection well permits and further wastewater injections in Washington County for three years if elected, while the state investigates wastewater migration.
The association has previously addressed the issue in Washington County. In December, Mike Chadsey, its director of external affairs, told county commissioners the group had advocated changes to injection well and production rules. He said the industry was also pursuing other ways to manage and dispose of wastewater, according to previous Marietta Times reporting.
Earlier Times coverage detailed concerns about wastewater injection near the aquifer supplying the city's drinking water, including a state permit for Stephan Well No. 1, a Class II disposal well within two miles of the city's water well field.
Marietta City Council's response in October 2025 included creating a task force to review proposed Class I and Class II injection wells affecting Marietta. It also authorized the city law director to pursue legal remedies aimed at applying current safety standards and protecting the aquifer. City officials said Marietta lacked authority to impose its own moratorium.
Council sought action from state lawmakers. An amended resolution approved Oct. 9 called for a three-year pause on additional Class I and Class II injection wells in Washington County and a halt to imports of brine and other waste into existing wells in the county.
A message seeking comment from Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign was not immediately returned. ODNR did not return a message seeking comment.